


ocean waves in your ocean eyes

by slowdanciing



Series: speckled stars [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Comfort, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron) is a Ray of Sunshine, Keith just wants to be loved, Lance (Voltron) Speaks Spanish, Lotor (Voltron) Is A Mess, M/M, Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Slow Build, Slow Burn, Touch-Starved Keith (Voltron), Voltron, fluff if you squint, lotsa dead characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-06-10 15:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15294348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowdanciing/pseuds/slowdanciing
Summary: with a ball coming up in a few days, prince keith kogane had way too much to get done. he had tastings to attend, paperwork to finish, potential assasins to find, and decorations to put up. all the normal things for a prince.but when a cuban boy shows up for the job, keith gets a little more involved than he ever dreamed he would be.





	1. .`. 1 .`.

**Author's Note:**

> hiya! 
> 
> before we start, i just wanted to address a few things.  
> -this is NOT edited, but it will be in the future.  
> -i write in all lowercase. please dont comment about it.  
> -this fic is NOT all about the romance! this will be a series, and this will be more of a build up. hope yall like some slowburn (but it is tagged as klance because of the obvious pining).
> 
> comments and kudos are appreciated! i love to get feedback, good or bad. i love hearing what readers thing!  
> i hope you enjoy!

        “(1)¡ _hermano_! stop dancing and grab a dustpan!”

        the mcclain household was always buzzing, but now it was especially busy. any which way you looked, you would see little dani tidying her dolls, eldest mikey ordering everyone along as he dusted the windows, and second eldest, lance, dancing with a broom to the beat of an instrumental.

         “but mikey,,, this is one of my favorite songs to dance to! (2) _¡no puedes decirme qué hacer!_ ” lance huffed, leaning onto the broom with his full trust. dani played with the bristles of lances broom under him.

         the two older brothers looked nothing like each other. the best they could pass for would be distant cousins. mikey had black hair and pale skin, without a single freckle or beauty mark anywhere on his skin, taking after their papa. lance, on the other hand, had well-toned skin with brown, curly hair and freckles and birthmarks anywhere the eye could see. his eyes were a dull shade of blue.

        mikey sighed, finishing his window and looking back at lance with his hazel eyes. “lance,,,, can you go tend to the garden? no one has done that yet.”

        “aye!” lance saluted and scooped dani up in his arms effortlessly. he passed some of his other siblings (maria, mateo, lucia, and tomas), all younger and in their teens, along with his father who was reading.

        there were loud commotions of greetings, as expected from the mcclains. he traded off dani to mateo who whined much about it, but lance couldn't care less. he flicked the teen in the nose and swayed his hips to the beat all the way to the door.

        as soon as lance stepped out of their small household and into the small communal garden, lance relished in the quiet. he stopped dancing and took a deep breath, not sure whether or not the slightly dirty air was a blessing or a curse. he wanted some time to garden and go out into town without having his family to distract him.

        lance loved them very much, but they could get to be a bit much (and headaches were to be expected and tolerated).

         he ruffled through his shaggy curls and rubbed his temples, looking down at the clothing that he had on with a pout as he slid himself down the wall with his back. “but i just cleaned these!” lance whined to himself, looking down at his rather average white tank (with the slightest hint of blue tint if you squinted), black pants and dark blue lace-up boots. he also had gold cuffs around both his upper arms and a blue scarf wrapped around his shoulders. lance never took off the cuffs. they reminded him of his mama-

        he sighed and shut his eyes tight, pressing over his eyelids until he saw little constellations form. he missed his mama so much, but he couldn't think about her now.

        not while work had to be done.

        lance stood up and unwrapped his scarf from his shoulders, draping it over the door handle and turning to look at the garden that desperately needed water and love. lance sighed and brushed off the invisible dirt from his clothes. time to get to work.

\-----

       from the mess of their garden, lance collected 5 potatoes (profit!!), 11 carrots, 3 tomatoes, and a whole tin of strawberries (double profit!!!). lance rushed into his home, the loud music strangely inviting. he looked at his reflection in a window and wiped the dirt smears off of his face with the back of his hand before returning to the sink to wash them. lance turned the faucet on and ran his hands through the cool water before grabbing the basket and-

        “lance?”

        “yes, papa?”

        it wasn't like lance had never talked to his father, but papa never usually spoke up unless it was urgent or necessary. this left lance a little spooked, a little voice in the back of his head hoping that he hadn't mixed up papas wash with marias for the third time.

        “(3) _lava tu ropa_ before you go out. we don't need people thinking we can't afford water and can't wash,” lances papa rasped, not once looking out from behind his book.

        lance looked back to the basket in his hands before he replied. “(4) _si_ , papa,” he chirped, looking eager to wash them and wash up and rush out.

        “maria, where did the (5) _harapos_ go? they used to be in the sink!” mateo called out to the house, his shrill, pubescent voice raising about the chatter.

        there was a pause before maria responded. “with the rest of your common sense, (6) _fregón!_ ”

        lance took a deep breath as he placed the basket in a cupboard (so no trying hands tried to pick at it) and rushed up the steps into mikey, mateo, and his room. lance brushed off the dirt from his pants and shook out his shirt, toying with his cuffs. that would be good enough.

        lance shook his hair (similar to a dog) and looked up at a decent sized mirror on the wall to look at his appearance. he didn't look like he came from a poor, hispanic family (which was his main goal- he didn't want rumors going aroun the square, especially with all the royalty buzzing around lately). he shot his mirror self finger guns before returning down the steps, yelling his farewells after he retrieved the basket from the cabinet and retreated out the front door. the town was always full of hubbub and commotion, but now, it was extremely bustling, with the peace ball coming up in a few days.

        lance maneuvered his way through the foreigners with ease to go find a table to set up his food on and hopefully sell. lance always wanted to attend one of the balls that were held by the prince- but lance wasn't all our to bring it up to his family.

        the koganes and the mcclains never got along.

        he found his way towards his leased booth, with his signs from a few days ago still up with fair prices splayed across the front. lance had spent all his savings on making and buying the booth so he could make extra cash. lance placed his basket down onto the booth and took out the containers, placing everything in their respective containers with the prices laid out in English and Altean. perfect. his stool was pulled out from behind the booth and lance sat in it respectively, resting his chin in his hand and lazily watching the onlookers. despite the midday rush, it was a lazy day.

        he sold all the strawberries and potatoes, but only 1 tomato and 4 carrots, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

        lance had his money jar half filled with different coins and bills from the week. the jar was small, but it was something, and he smiled eagerly at the jar. he could finally get his siblings birthday presents, get himself some passion fruits (his favorite, yet quite expensive), or start giving out allowances like all the other kids on their street (maria and lucia wouldn't shut their mouths about it!). lance grabbed his jar and packed up, about to head home after the hour before finding a flier at his feet. he picked it up and stared at it intently.

        well, that was one way to get allowances out.

\-----

       the kogane castle was never buzzing, even the week of the infamous “peace ball” that prince keith was expected to throw in the next few days.

 in that time, keith was expected to buy and set up all the preparations and set them up by himself, go to several food tastings, while still doing his royal duties and doing paperwork and-

        keith groaned at his desk and thumped his head against his desk. everything here was too expensive, and he just felt guilty hitting his head on the said desk so much that there was a dent forming in the hardwood. he rubbed his fingers over the dent a little sheepishly, before picking up his large stack of papers and tapping them against the table to straighten them out. he placed them down and stood up, slipping his boots on over his form-fitting pants and slipping his dark purple cloak around his shoulders and flipping up his hood.

        keith hated that he had to wear a different cloak every time he went out into town if he didnt want to be acknowledged. absolutely despised it. but being a prince had its ups and downs, and this was a definite down.

        he stormed out of his office and closed the door, using a key and locking it with a click. keith shoved it into his cloaks inner pocket, passing all of the servants of the castle with murmurs of greeting. the halls were usually rather bland, but now they had decorations dressing them, which gave the palace a more festive feel. at least it didnt look as lonely as it truly felt.

         keith was just about to go out through the back door before one of the servants, bella, had called out to him. “keith, sir? you have a visitor.”

        keith tool a deep breath and gripped the hem of his hood tight in frustration. “please send them out. you know i dont accept visitors, bella. i was just slipping out into town for some things, anyways,,, is it that important?”

        the air between them was tense. keith didnt mean to snap so quickly but he was so sick of all his “fans” always trying to break into the castle. “ah, yes,,, you see, a young man just showed up for the assassination job. he doesnt seem like a hardcore fan undercover, but i can stay by your side if you would like-”

        keith sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “i am a grown man. a prince at that matter. i dont need you by my side. but… thank you.” bella cringed in apology and pointed off to the front foyer. keith followed her finger and pulled his hood down to his shoulders, shaking out his shoulder length hair (it was _not_ a mullet. keith refused to call it that. just a… flippy shoulder cut). the boy turned to attention and straightened up a bit uncomfortably.

        “ah hello, uh, (8) _príncipe_ \- prince!” he stammered, seemingly flustered.

        “please dont call me prince. keith is quite fine,” he said in quite the formal tone, straightening out his cloak and plastering a small smile onto his face. it was quite obviously fake, but keith needed not to scare away the only one of the possible assassins he had at his hands.

        the boy blinked a bit before smiling sheepishly and rubbing at the back of his neck, messing with his sloppy curls. “(8) _apenado_ \- i mean-sorry!”

        keith sighed a bit and looked over the taller boy with a rather confused expression. “its fine. i know quite a bit of spanish, so theres no need to apologize. i understand you are looking to apply for the assassin job. what is your name?”

        “i am! and its lance mcclain… thank you, keith.”

        keith pursed his lips, deciding not to question exactly why lance was thanking him. “anyways, join me for my walk as we discuss?” lance subtly nodded, but stared at keith like he had a giant 5 lion robot behind him. “wont people see you outside?” he asked, looking at the door that opened to the palace, but always stayed closed. keith had grown used to its size but could see why lance was awed by it.

        “well, sure. but with a cloak on, they dont realize that the “oh so idolized prince” is walking right before their eyes,” keith said in a mocking tone, using finger quotes and a well needed eyeroll. keith could hear lance snicker.

        “thats  _so_ reassuring. what if somebody recognized you?”

        “they wont. right this way, then. we havent got all day.”

 

\---

spanish translations down here!!

1; "¡hermano!" brother! (will be used frequently)

2; "¡no puedes decirme qué hacer!" you can't tell me what to do!

3; "lava tu ropa" wash your clothes

4; "si" yes (for anyone who doesn't know!)

5; "harapos" rags

6; "fregón" annoying or stupid

7; "príncipe" prince

8; "apenado" sorry

(also sorry for the totally not canon sibling names,,,, i can't find them anywhere?)

thats all! -jul

\---


	2. .`. 2 .`.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> midday walks and frantic party-planning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updates will be slow because of work until school starts up for me again!! (งツ)ว  
> comments and kudos are appreciated, enjoy!

the mid-morning rush finally started to calm down as lance and keith exited the castle from the backdoors and took a path in the forest towards the town. the forest behind the castle was probably just as luxurious as the castle itself, if not more, with fairy lights dangling off of the low-hanging branches of willow trees, birds chirping and other wildlife swarming around and doing their own thing. this all reminded lance strictly of some sort of princess story with all the peaceful animals cooing and swarming around the two like a flowy musical number was going to commence.

lance was trying his very hardest to not look too awed by the surroundings around him (and the prince himself! the prince was right in front of him! and he was so nervous that he started spewing out spanish instead of english! that was embarrassing) as he turned his head a little less subtle than he wished to look around. lance watched keith pull his hood over his head and lance bit the inside of his lower lip lightly in thought. keiths cloak was a simple black one that curved over his shoulders and cascaded to the ground, with a purple rim around the seams. he wondered how keith managed to get around without  _anyone_ noticing! he decided that a great feat in keiths book (though he  _was_ the prince, so he probably had done some better things than getting around unnoticed).

the silence between the two was broken by lance like a few light taps to thin ice. “so, keith…” he drawled on, playing with the end of his scarf, “should we, yknow, discuss important job things?”

keith lightly chuckled into the back of his hand, which were stained with ink in a similar color to keiths dark eyes. “important job things it is, then. this job is to assassinate prince lotor, the presumed witch  _and_  paladin who killed my mother.”

“(1) _oh, dios_ … isn’t he the prince of the galran empire? like, the one who was trialed for mass murder?” lance tried to keep himself from looking completely mortified. it didnt quite help that he was gaping like a fish to dull that hope. of  _course_ he decided that being an assassin would be a good idea only to find out that he would have to kill a prince. a scary murderous prince. who was probably better at killing than he was.

keith nodded solemnly, his brows furrowing in what seemed discomfort (lance couldn’t blame him. talking about his mother was tough, and she was only missing, so he couldn’t even imagine how he felt). “that’s the one. anyways, this has to be done before the ball because he was planning on using an unknown substance to kill all the attendants. it would also be nice to find information on lotor and what he was going to use if you can.”

lance went quiet as they stepped out of the wood and into the town, which was still buzzing, but there weren’t as many people, which left room for the two to walk side by side.

“alright… and the reward is still set in place if i succeed?” lance asked, wringing his hands in front of his chest, not even caring if it was noticeable at that point.

keith gave lance a sidelong glance. “certainly. why do you want it?” the prince asked, and lance winced, wishing he hadnt been asked. it was bound to be asked though, seeming that lance looked pretty damn nervous.

lance gave a shallow laugh, crossing his arms across himself. “i uh- you see- my family isn’t the best off since- my uh- my mama went- whats the word? gone… away... (2) _perdido…_ missing! thats it. so it would be great to have a little boost, yknow? with seven siblings, it can get difficult,” he stammered, twiddling with his fingers and keeping his gaze on his feet (though he ran into a few people because of it. lance didnt want to look back up, though. did he sound like he was begging for pity? did he  _want_ pity?).

he heard keith choke a bit next to him. “wait- you have  _seven_ siblings? like… all living with you?  _seven!?_ ” he gaped, his jaw hanging down when lance looked up. lance giggled a little awkwardly and gave a small shrug.

“well, i mean… veronica doesnt live with us anymore,,, but yeah! ive got a pretty big family… it gets loud but i love them.” lance sounded really mushy and sentimental, before realizing that keith didnt have any family.

like,,, at all.

“oh my god, i am so sorry-” lance covered his face in a bit of embarrassment. “geez, im so selfish! i cant believe i started babbling on about my family like that!!”

keith startled visibly, and lance only shrugged deeper down into his arms. “oh jeez, its fine, lance! i asked about your family, you arent selfish. please, calm down! id love to hear more if youd like. you sound like you love your family.”

lance looked up through his fingers at keith and laughed nervously, straightening up his posture and taking his hands off of his burning face. “im not one for strong first impressions,am i?”

keith looked over, tugging at his hood a little self consciously as if it were going to fly off at any given moment. “i think youre fine, though i cant imagine you killing someone,” keith chuckled truthfully, shrugging nonchalantly.

“ah- ive gone hunting, but i need the money and i figured since you had been having trouble finding assassins, i was your best bet? i dunno, dont quote me.” lance drawled on, his tone quiet as he looked around as if someone were listening to them. lance honestly wasn’t sure if he wanted it to be public knowledge that he signed up to be an assassin? people could always react bad and lance didn’t want to give his family name the ‘assasins family of the cuban boy that killed prince lotor’ label.

keith hummed, taking a turn down a rather desolate street that leads back to the castle. “the roses the vendors are selling aren’t as beautiful as they are during the spring,” he commented with a small huff, looking back to see if lance was following him, “which deems this walk quite useless.”

“oh, thats unfortunate. why do you need roses? i mean- you don’t have to answer that, im just wondering.” lance picked up his pace to stay next to keith again, his scarf falling over onto his upper arm and nearly falling off.

“its for my mothers altar. i was going to ask her to help us with your job,” keith said with a small smile, though it ultimately emanated with sadness.

lance could tell how much keith missed his mom. the prince was always known for being very hush hush about things and always turning away from people, but lance couldn’t believe any of those rumors. keith was one of the nicest rich people he’d ever met, and keith didn’t seem to like to flaunt the fact that he could afford every vendor and everything in it with enough money to spare (and these vendors were extremely expensive! lance likes his low prices because people will buy from him more often).

“im sorry… ill make sure that i do this job properly. for both myself, and for you and your mother,” lance said, feeling a little spark of determination in his chest as he fixed his scarf to sit symmetrically on both of his shoulders.

keith looked around and pulled his hood down to sit on his shoulders. he fluffed his hair again and smiled at lance. “thank you very much, lance. we can head back to the castle and you can retrieve your weapons and contract?”

“of course.”

\-----

the trip to the castle was rather quiet between the two. keith pulled his hood back up on his head, despite the pair not running into anyone else as they walked.

the castle, still glorious as ever, came into view as keith started to talk again. he pulled a key out of a nearly invisible pocket sewn into his cloak and unlocked the gate into the castle courtyard. “what do you like to fight with? do you have a preferred weapon?” keith asked as he stood aside to let lance inside.

keith thought it was kind of weird, letting a near stranger in through the secret back gate of the palace and into the courtyard. none of his servants knew about it either. the gate was nothing much, with a silver, slightly rusted arch and a small keyhole connected to the main gate. the gate itself wasn’t rusted but obviously well worn, used way more than just a few times.

“oh- uh,, i prefer bow and arrow,” lance sputtered, squaring out his shoulders a bit as if he had to act regal when he entered the castle (keith found that funny while he was slouching as much as he could before his servants scolded him).

keith made his way through the hedges, glancing back at the cuban boy every now and then to make sure he didn’t trip over his hanging jaw. keith didn’t really want to have all this wow-factor in the long run, because people saw the great and grand castle and instantly assumed he was the same way- big and bold and grand. keith could be bold, but he was mainly just a risk taker that really just wanted to avenge his mother and stop wearing the royal bodysuits that he had to constantly wear.

and the paperwork! that could be dropped as well

as they entered the castle, servants bombarded keith left and right. he took a deep breath and held up his hand to silence their ‘your cake tastings were an hour ago!’ and their ‘the fountain bubbled over again! waxed floors or matte?’

“reschedule them. and whichever makes the floors more regal, i guess- i dunno!” keith answered, ushering lance along with a quick flick of his hand as he made his way to the storage rooms. the servants stared at keith, looking lost, but he had more important matters to attend to.

the hallways seemed so bland to keith, always the same old same old with a few extra decorations and such. but today, there was a guest and such a positive energy coming from the mcclain who seemed entranced by literally everything the castle had to offer with balmeran crystal energy and guards aligned at every door, saluting them both.

the doors to the supply room were at the very end of the hallway in the east wing, which was the oldest wing in the castle. it didn’t show, though, and way actually one of the most updated wings of the palace because of the extreme security and technology that ran through the walls like thick beams of lightning striking through the walls in arctic blue.

keith stopped in front of them and turned back to lance who was silent with an unreadable expression. his face was deadpanned, yet he didnt look bored. he just looked like he was… thinking.

he pulled a security card out of his pocket and held it over a sensor next to the doors, and slid them open with a tug. the doors were hard to open because of how little they were used. keith stepped a few steps back from the door next to where lance stood and dusted the dirt and dust off of his hands. he turned to look at lance and smirked at how utterly surprised and shocked lance looked when the door opened.

it was quite ironic, actually. a large weapon room in the castle that symbolizes peace and unity between the nations.

and boy, was it loaded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations over here!!! 
> 
> 1) oh, dios: oh, god. 
> 
> 2) perdido: missing
> 
> thats all! thanks for reading <3


	3. .`. 3 .`.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> new discoveries are made and lances checks out a mouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will start posting every saturday now that i hammered a bunch of chapters out before work starts getting crazy! 
> 
> schedule: saturdays (always unless said otherwise) and sometimes thursdays

“(1) _camarones sagrados!_ ” lance gaped, his voice echoing through the large room filled to the brim with any kind of weapon you can imagine, the metal jets on either side of the door making his voice echo longer than it should have.

keith chuckled softly, looking at lance with a confused expression. “holy what?” 

“holy shrimp,” lance informed and joined keith with a shared laugh. lance thought about how great it was that the prince wasnt treating him like a random, unskilled peasant that was only doing this job for the reward (which he didnt like to think that he was. after hearing keiths story, he could _give_ money to help if it werent for the fact that he had basically nothing. the young prince seemed desperate). he also loved how silky smooth keiths laugh was when he wasnt forcing it out and sounding like a prepubescent mutant seal. it sounded like what velvet felt of under the softest brush of contact.

okay, that metaphor got way too out of hand. lance almost choked on his own air and pursed his lips, pushing back whatever thoughts about keiths laugh he had to the back of his mind, where they most likely belonged. lance could sort through that mental filing cabinet when it starts to overflow (which it wouldnt! he couldnt simply have enough thoughts of keith, let alone his laugh, to fill his mental cabinets. he had multiple. that would be absurd!).

so yeah. it was great that lance wasnt treated like the outsider (though he ultimately was inside the castle walls as a poor peasant).

lance craned his neck up to bask at the fact that the lights werent attached to the ceiling. they were floating! _floating!_ now that he thought about it, maybe all the lights were floating. so cool! lance looked back over eagerly to the prin- keith.

just keith.

keith.

lance looked back over to keith, and he could basically feel his eyes bulging out of his head (not literally. that wouldnt be good).

“i dont think most of these have been used since nations war vi,” keith muttered, counting on his fingers as if he were counting the years. “find a crossbow, and ill get a dagger for you. just in case. 

lance entered, looking around like he was a black sheep in a field of showy white ones. if one thing was for sure, he felt like one the whole time he was in the grand castle.

it was different looking in from the outside than actually standing in the midst of all these expensive looking machines. lance wasnt the kind of person that loved weapons and would use all of his savings to buy a bow and arrow set, but jeez if this wasnt the coolest collection of things ever, he wasnt sure what was. 

“well? dont just stand there, or else i pick for you,” keith smirked, his voice basically oozing with mischievous taunting.

lance shook his head slightly, like a wet dog shaking the water out of its fur, and looked up again towards the shelves of things. lance would say that him being overwhelmed was a major understatement as he drifted over to the bow and arrows. they all looked cool, dont get him wrong, but he felt like something was calling to him.

something like… lance tried his luck and reached back into the shelves and pulled out…

a small mouse. not exactly a weapon, but hey, maybe the mouse was part of a super weapon and was waiting for the right wielder. the mouse looked up at lance and gave him a small smile before lance pet the fur on the top of his head with his fingertip set him on the ground. he gave lance a small, grateful wave and scurried off into a corner that had a hole in the wall.

lance would never forget that mouse. wonderful mouse. beautiful mouse.

before lance could get away with himself checking out a chubby, multicolored mouse some more, he started to walk towards the end of the aisle. at the end, there were enlarged versions of what looked like meat cleavers and handheld canons. lance went to turn around when he  heard an almost mental sounding pang at the back of his mind.

he had to go to the back of the aisle.

there were no weapons or items along the back wall, but rather the names of fallen soldiers, which seemed to be names of alteans and galrans and humans alike. he took his fingers and ran hem over each plate, looking over the names with obvious interest. it was oddly quiet, which added an even more solemn atmosphere. lance glanced over towards the plates more towards the shelf before turning his head to something that glinted in the corner of his eye. he could have sworn that the crossbow in his peripheral was glowing a light blue! lance let himself stray towards this crossbow that was quite weirdly shaped. it was more curved than a regular bow, but had the proper body of a crossbow.

lance was tempted to ask if it was defected or not, but it seemed pretty rude and he already had decided on which weapon he wanted.

this weird looking crossbow.

sure enough, the bow was beaming the same shade of blue the whole walk back.

when he walked out with it, keith looked at him with a raised brow from the wall, examining a dagger that he had in his hands carefully. the color reminded lance of the blue in his eyes when he was extremely happy, a bright blue that you only see once in a blue moon (lance was so proud of himself for that analogy and decided to celebrate at home before he left for the job tomorrow).

you didnt see that blue as often in lances eyes anymore.

“what… what is that?” keith asked, stepping forward to examine the strange weapon.

lance turned it around in his hands with an incredulous look on his face. “im not quite certain, but i felt like it was…  dunno, calling out to me? that sounds stupid, but its true! and it even glowed when i looked at it.”

keith looked up from the weapon to lance, wearing the famous ‘you have to be kidding me’ expression for the average skeptic down the block (that just so happened to like in a castle, but no biggie). “really? like- are you actually serious?”

 “as serious as- hey look, (2) _cándido_ is written on the ceiling!” lance chimed, trying to keep down a smirk as keith obliged.

keith craned his neck to look at the ceiling, narrowing his eyes to search the ceiling. “what does that mean, _cándido?_ is it-”

a surge of realization hit keith as he slowly moved his head down, locking eyes with lance and deadpanning. “it means gullible, doesnt it. you used a language i barely know to pull the classic ‘oh hey gullible is on the ceiling’ prank.”

“yep.” lance snickered, shrugging his shoulders. “what can i do, you fell for it! anyways, yes, this magical doohickey-weapon thing lit up in front of my eyes. it scared me to death, ill let you know. im still a little shaken. just imagine it! looking through deceased soldiers names and turning your head and seeing an actual real-life weapon that was _glowing!_

keith wiped off the dagger in his hand with a  cloth to shine it a bit, staring at it intently with one of his eyes closed and his other eye barely touching the knife. “those weapons havent glowed since the first chosen five… lance- holy shit! youre- youre-” keith took the dagger away from his eye and he looked surprised and excited all in one.

lance, on the other hand, looked like a deer in spotlights. 

“me? _chosen?_ its probably just sensing someone down the road,,, or something stupid like that. im just a cuban boy that decided to be an assassin,” lance rambled, fumbling with the weapon and extending his arms over-dramatically to have keith take it. he felt like he shouldnt have been touching something so important. “it cant be me.”

keith pursed his lips and stared down at the weapon. “lance, i dont make the rules about these ‘chosen one’ things. i forgot that it was a quest of mine to fulfill as a prince- to find the chosen owners of these weapons… i believe they are called bayards.”

“and i also believe that this belongs to you.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translation!!!
> 
> 1.) camarones sagrados!; holy shrimp. (lance would definitely say that, dont tell me im wrong.)
> 
> 2.) cándido; means either naive or gullible. 
> 
> both of those are shown with context clues, but i will almost always have this down here all the time!


	4. .`. 4 .`.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> keith mourns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its super short but i have had so much work and i thought it was important enough to post by itself. 
> 
> i hope you enjoy!

lance left the castle after he was introduced to the bayard.

keith wasnt sure what to make out of it. this stupid chosen-one quest was all the way in the back of his mind! he almost forgot about his job as the prince to start and find the chosen ones and find all the 5 bayards that were hidden around the castle. and of course, lance found one of them before he even had the chance to look.

keith didnt know what to think about lance at this point. he seemed nice, and he seemed to want to do this job for both yours and his benefit. but he seemed to be a little temperamental after hearing that he might be a chosen one (but keith couldnt really be one to speak). he assumed that the lighthearted person he had just met would be ecstatic, but instead, he looked overwhelmed and angry over the fact that he was picked over anyone else in their civilization.

the dagger keith was shining was already taken by lance as he stormed out, dropping the rather magic weapon in his arms and leaving the young prince alone in the big, echoey room without another word being said. 

keith let his back drag down the wall in an exasperated fashion, looking over the room with a sad look on his face. his mother asked him to carry out the bayard task, though keith wasnt sure what the bayards were or how to harness their power. if lance did the assassination but didnt stay with the castle to help find the others, keith would probably stay in horrible mourning for forever. 

but then again, he couldnt help but feel like he is asking too much of lance. he had opened up to keith so much more than keith has ever been to anyone. ever. and lance was going through so much at home as it is, from what keith understood. but in the end, keith couldnt accomplish whatever the bayards were for without the blue... he couldnt remember what the holders were called. mages? paladins? knights? he sighed and let his head drop into his hands. it was too much work for the young prince to think of. with the ball coming up and an assassination due in a few days...

and now a new task that required five bayard holders to complete some incredulous task that keith could care less about. 

but he had to do it.

its all he could do to feel like he fully made his mother happy, after all. 

keith would search for the bayards later. he needed to visit his mother and ask for some advice that she never gave. it made keith at peace, to know that she is listening from the beyond, though not be able to hear her voice ever again. 

keith teared up, his lip slightly trembling. he wiped at his eyes insistently, trying to keep tears out of his glossy eyes.

his mother… krolia kogane… 

he missed her so much. keith would probably do anything just to get her back one more time and apologize to her for being such a horrible son and getting her killed. he wished she was there for the mother-son dance during the ball coming up. he wished he could have her critique on how his suit looked horrible and tacky but would tell him to wear it anyways and laugh until their sides hurt. he wished…  _ god,  _ he wished…

\-----

“mommy! look what i found, hey mommy, look!” a small voice came from behind queen krolia. she looked back and her lips instantly turned upwards.

her little son, prince keith, was beaming up at her, holding up a small puppy that was clenched around his arm. the puppy was most certainly trying to hold onto keiths arm for his dear life, but krolia paid no mind. she knew her son wouldnt let him drop. the pups eyes looked like they had held all constellations and galaxies you could imagine. its lips looked like they were permanently curved up into a smile. krolia bent down to look at the small puppy and discarded a dagger to the side that she was training with. it looked as if it struggled to not drop onto the ground since keith didnt seem to notice they were hanging by a thread.

“oh, keith, he’s so cute! you will have to let him go back to his home at some point, though. i bet he’d rather be out in the grass than in a stuffy castle all day!” the queen looked back at the castle with an incredulous look and a short laugh. "the woods are so much more interesting! imagine it keith... would you rather being stuck in a room or running free in the woods?"

keith drew a silence, his buttom lip puffing out in a silent defeat. he eyed up the puppy in question and pet his soft fur tufts that stuck up on the top of its head. “but… but the dog… it looked so lonely. what if they dont have a home?”

“it probably has family out there somewhere,” krolia explained, picking up the blade and studying it carefully, pursing her lips.

“you just have to know when to let things go.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no spanish this time! 
> 
> comments and kudos are highly appreciated, though ;)


	5. uppdate!

hi lovelies!

first of all- thank you for almost 300 hits. 

as for the reason im writing this, i decided to take a menta break and i came back to this without an ounce on what to do. so honestly, im thinking about just marking this as discontinued. 

im extremely torn, and unless people want to see more of this, im not sure i want to keep writing this. 

there are other things that id rather be writing about, and ive been in the vld fandom for about 2 years non stop, and i think its time for me to let go and write something i really do enjoy reading and writing about.

with that said, if there is some demand for me to finish this, i wont make it a series and hurry it up instead of the dragged out story i had planned. 

id love to hear your preferences on that! speak up if you need to, and if not, this is done. if i get the urge to continue it someday, i might. 

thanks for reading so far!


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